


The Price of Salvation

by WhiteTigerBoi



Category: Dragon Age: Origins, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs
Genre: Abuse, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Demonic Possession, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fantastic Racism, Fifth Blight, Human Sacrifice, M/M, Multi, Psychological Torture, Sexual Violence, The Blight (Dragon Age), Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 14:02:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8535982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteTigerBoi/pseuds/WhiteTigerBoi
Summary: The Blight is upon them, and it’s only a matter of time before the Archdemon arrives in Denerim. What remains of the Grey Wardens must travel all across Ferelden in search of help in unlikely places.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Dragon Age/Bungou Stray Dogs!AU

The weeklong ride to Ostagar was spent mostly in silence, Atsushi trying not to make a sound and kept on clinging to his satchel and the staff First Enchanter Howard dumped into his hands. 

The Grey Warden – Oda Sakunosuke – spent most of it reading missives, thick sheets of vellum in his calloused fingers. Atsushi had an uncanny feeling that the man knew where to go just to avoid Darkspawn or any other sort of trouble. The waggoner they hitched a ride with was more than grateful. Oda discreetly handing him five sovereigns certainly helped.

What didn’t help, were the suspicious looks the hired rider would make at Atsushi. The robes, staff, and long pointed ears all had the human’s prejudices rearing its ugly head. The waggoner was just probably too afraid to make an unsavoury comment. It’s either because of the enormous claymore strapped on Oda’s back or the imagined threat that Atsushi will suddenly turn into an abomination probably if the waggoner won’t keep his mouth shut.

It was sundown when they arrived in Lothering. Atsushi had never been more grateful that the silently hostile human was headed for Denerim. Even if the waggoner had to take the long way around instead of sticking to the northern route from Kinloch Hold. The Circle Tower seemed so far away now.

“Something wrong?” Oda asked, while checking his hiding his papers in a brown rucksack. Atsushi shook his head with a nervous laugh.

“Was feeling a little nostalgic… the human with the wagon is headed off to Denerim, right?” Atsushi said, glancing to the east, marveling at how red the sky was, no longer confined behind the stone walls of the Circle Tower. The air was fresh and Atsushi never realised how claustrophobic it was in Kinloch Hold. The windows were always closed and barred, only full Circle Mages were allowed outside, and Templars watched their every move. Sometimes, even in their sleep. It was relief to be away from their prying gazes and the political games First Enchanter Howard loved to play with Knight-Commander Herman.

“Were you from the alienage there?” Oda then started leading him towards the Inn next to the tavern, eyeing the ongoing mass of people coming from the South. There’s a Chasind man speaking with a Chantry Brother, pointing every now and then at crates covered with hide.

“Yeah… There’s this orphanage close to this large tree right in the middle of the Alienage. I used to climb up the tree… before they took me to the Circle.” Hints of the tree peek out through the alienage walls, a human stands guard close to the entrance. “I remember this… Templar. He’d bring food and sovereigns to the matron before she died, and he was the first to know I had magic.”

“You sound fond of this Templar, I would be under the impression that he bought you to the Circle. I take it that he didn’t do that, did he?” Oda seemed ignorant of the stares they were getting, but he did glare at a human that threw loud ‘knife ear’ at Atsushi. The Inn was mostly empty, and the girl behind the counter was reading a copy of the Chant of Light, mouthing the words silently as she went on.

“He didn’t…. It was after the Chantry sent a replacement. The brother found out I had magic, had other Templars cart me off to Kinloch. ‘That brat can turn into an abomination’, he said. He was horrid.” The girl was rather friendly, handed off a rusty key in exchange for a sovereign from Oda. The two began to make their way upstairs, floorboards creaking with every step. “I… Can we visit the Alienage in Denerim? I just want to see how the other kids are doing now.”

Oda looked uncomfortable for a moment, as they climbed up the stairs. “Sure thing. We can also get your phylactery, while we’re at it.”

“My… phylactery?” Atsushi bites the inside of his cheek, wondering if Grey Wardens were allowed to access it. Recent memories of phylacteries were not… well. He wasn’t quite sure if he wanted Edgar and Ranpo to be alive or dead after that ordeal.

The two reached the rented room, the wooden door screeched horribly when Oda opened it. A pair of ratty beds were pushed to one side, a bronze candelabra with just two candles was on top of the night stand. The window was a hatch that had a piece of stick to keep it open.

“It’s in Denerim, right?” Oda started removing his vambraces and gauntlets, then his greaves and sabatons came next, he took off his blue-grey pauldrons before settling down in bed. 

“I know,” Atsushi said in a quiet voce. 

“Templars tend to… hunt down mages, for as long as there isn’t a Templar within a five metre radius. That can be disruptive during Blights or when we need to look for Darkspawn.”

There’s a knock at the door, and the girl just pushed the door to get in since Oda hadn’t locked it yet. She was carrying a tray with a plate of bread, a chunk of cheese, a bowl of nuts and figs, and a bowl of leek stew; there were three bottles of ale in the tray as well.  “Your supper, messers.”

She was staring at Atsushi’s ears and robe, and the mage glanced away in discomfort. At the very least in the Circle, humans and elves got along thanks to the mutual suffering of losing privacy and being treated like ticking bombs ready to turn into abominations at any time.

“Thanks,” Oda said, taking the tray from her when she approached him. 

Her eyes were wide, but Atsushi now noticed that she did not have that usual gleam or sneer prejudiced Templars had whenever they dealt with mages, especially elven mages. Atsushi felt a little relieved at that.

“Is there really a Blight?” she asked, as Oda placed the tray on the nightstand. “Refugees from the South had been coming to Lothering, but other villagers are already moving somewhere else like Denerim or to the Free Marches. The Hawkes – they own a farm to the north – don’t think that the Darkspawn will reach us yet. The king and most of the army are in Ostagar, right?”

“Word spreads fast.” Oda brushed his hair back with his right hand. “It is true, and we will be doing everything we can to stop it. I recommend that you too start packing and move further north or west, in Orlais or the Free Marches would be fine. Until the Blight ends.”

“I see….” The girl then turned to Atsushi. “Are you from the Circle?”

“Um… yes, the one in Lake Calenhad, Kinloch Hold.”

“What’s the Circle like?” There’s a spark of interest in her eyes, genuinely curious about Atsushi’s life in Kinloch.

“It’s just studying and practicing magic. We do research sometimes, but not everyone is very patient about it. A lot of apprentices just want to get out as soon as we pass our Harrowing.”

“What’s the Harrowing?” Before Atsushi can answer, clanging bells from outside had the girl’s attention shifting.

“I’m really sorry about disturbing you, um, that’s the Town Bell. The governor probably wants a meeting or something. Probably going to talk about the sodding Darkspawn down south.” She smoothed down her dress and grinned at the two men. “Let the Maker light your path.”

Loud creaking followed her footsteps, before the closed door muffled the rest. Atsushi glanced at Oda who was now breaking the dark-coloured bread. He dipped a piece on the stew and then took a nibble, savouring the flavours. Even if there wasn’t much, Atsushi can smell that the stew wasn’t bland.

“Eat up, we have a long journey ahead of us.” The Grey Warden gestured towards the meal, and the mage reluctantly approached.

The bread was probably baked that morning, the inside still soft and moist. The cheese was rather fine, but Atsushi cut off a sliver that looked a little blue. The figs were sundried and the nuts were rather bland. It wasn’t the kind of meal Atsushi ate in the tower, seeing as most of their diet had plenty of fish and fruit. Donations from the parents of wealthy mages definitely.

“How will the King end the Blight?” Atsushi began, as he nibbled his way through the bread. “Almost all of Ferelden’s army is focused on the South, what if we lose? And if we win, what if Orlais conquers us again? Or what if Tevinter wants to invade?”

Oda paused, mulling over Atsushi’s question.

Dazai’s last missive was that he got the Dalish Elf into Ostagar around some time when Oda was on his way to the Circle Tower. It was enough time to have the new recruits start with the Joining. Still, it doesn’t feel like it was enough to stop the Horde marching their way north. The King Francis had his heart in the right place, but delusions of glory and heroism made him blind over the looming threat of the Darkspawn.

A single battle will not win the war.

Oda knew that they will need all the help they can get, but time was against them. With an Archdemon mobilising Darkspawn forces into organised units, careful strategy and nothing short of a miracle can stop this Fifth Blight.

Still, it would do good to give Atsushi hope for the future. “We’ll make it. As a matter of fact, I have a task in mind for you and one of the Grey Wardens in Ostagar to help with stopping the Blight. We need all the help we can get, but once we have enough allies, it would be possible to stop it. We just need the Archdemon’s death to have the Darkspawn scattering again and that’s when we can drive them back into the Deep Roads.”

“Oh.”

After this battle, whoever survives the Joining will be spread out across Ferelden. Oda will probably have Atsushi return to the Circle to get help from Mages. Once Dazai gets the Right of Conscription, they would be able to gather forces. The Dalish Elf Dazai bought back would be asked to contact other clans for help, naturally. Oda already sent missive to the next Aeducan in line, hopefully, Orzammar would be more forthcoming with their assistance. The Legion of the Dead and the Dwarves themselves already know how much of a threat Darkspawn pose. The promise of a Blight even more so. The Arl of Redcliffe, though… Perhaps Dazai can contact his uncle for help, the man almost always spoiled the younger man, after all.

“We do have a plan coming up, now eat up and then get some rest. We still have Ostagar to worry about. We will be joining a fleet on foot, it’s the last of the troops to come from Denerim. Lord Mori is already there to help with the battle. It would do you good to be bright eyed and ready, because I am absolutely sure the King will want to speak with you.”

“Okay,” replied Atsushi, toeing off his boots carefully. The mage finished half his fill, appetite lost at the prospect of meeting the King and having a hand in saving Ferelden from a Blight of all things. A day ago, Atsushi thought his world was going to end because Knight-Commander Herman wanted to make him Tranquil and First Enchanter Lovecraft almost agreed to it. Hours after his Harrowing, of all things.

_ ‘I look forward to seeing your powers grow.’ _

Atsushi shook his head, banishing the thoughts of the last demon he met in the Fade. It hurt just as well. There was some part of him that trusted Cat, but it turned out the supposed Mage that took too long in his Harrowing was simply just a Pride Demon in disguise. Atsushi could have turned into an abomination right then and there, and Knight-Commander Herman would have had run him through with an enormous sword all in the name of the Chantry.

“If you’re not going to eat all of your share, then rest. You’ll need the strength.”

The mage chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. Already, Atsushi knew he would have trouble sleeping. He had no plans encountering the Pride Demon again in the Fade, and he hoped that it wouldn’t be too difficult to find a fellow mage, asleep, that would be sympathetic to his plight.

“Alright… but um….” Atsushi took a deep breath, looking at Oda head on. “Thanks. You saved my life… it was either execution or Tranquillity. I’m grateful for that.”

The Grey Warden shrugged. “It’s nothing. It doesn’t seem right to be punished for being who you are. Don’t you agree?”

Unconsciously, Atsushi touched the tip of his ear. “I agree. I suppose.”

“Hopefully, this Blight will have Ferelden realising we all need each other and all that. Mages are a huge contribution to the Grey Wardens, after all.”

Pink dusted Atsushi’s cheeks. It was rare to be needed. “Thank you.”

Oda smiled at him. Atsushi wondered if the human had children. “Now go to sleep.”

Ostagar bustled with activity. Warriors were sparring in the fields, and Atsushi saw five Enchanters along with Senior Enchanter Nathaniel performing some sort of ritual. There’s another Full Magi there as well, but he seemed more like their errand boy than anything else. Atsushi curiously approached a kennel of Mabari, curious with one of the dogs lying so listlessly in its cage, before Oda called him to meet with the other recruits.

There were two humans and another elf with Oda. The other elf was most obviously Dalish. He wore black armour with deep green highlights, and he had an enormous broadsword strapped on his back. That had Atsushi wondering what the Valasslin meant. He knew that it was in honour of the Creators, but he wasn’t familiar with the symbols to know which was which. What held Atsushi back from barraging the other Elf with questions was the hostile and almost murderous look on his face.

“How nice, everyone’s here!” Dazai Osamu was the other Grey Warden with Oda. However, he wore lighter armour, and he had twin daggers strapped on his side along with a recurve bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. He looked rather cheerier, now that the Chantry Mother left him to his own devices with an offended huff. “Maker’s breath Oda, I thought she’d never leave me alone. Just because Mother June used to belt me back in Redcliffe doesn’t mean I’m her errand boy. I swear, they just think we’re here to look pretty or something.”

“Please try not to offend the Chantry, Dazai.” There is amusement in Oda’s eyes, though. “We still need their help.”

The younger Warden waved a dismissive hand. “Sure thing, but I’m pretty sure they need ours as well.”

“By the way, this here is a new recruit from the Circle Tower, Atsushi Nakajima.”

“Well, is this the brightest mage in the Circle, like you said, eh Oda?” He turned to Atsushi with a large smile. “This rather murderous Elf with the broadsword there is Ryuunosuke Akutagawa. This fellow came with this clan that’s just moving up from the Gwaren to somewhere close to Dragon’s Peak. That one over there is Wordsworth from Highever, and the other one there is Byron from Kirkwall.”

“The Darkspawn had already attacked our clan,” said Akutagawa, almost surprising Atsushi with how deep his voice was. If it weren’t for the already peeved expression, his slender features would have had Atsushi thought he’d have a higher voice. “Our Keeper had already met with another clan in the Western part of the Brecilian Forest, but a curse torments them and so we cannot abandon them to their fate just yet.”

“Wait, if there’s a curse with your clan, why did you leave?” the blonde human – Wordsworth – asked.

“I have been… afflicted by the corruption of the Darkspawn. It only seems logical to have me join the Grey Wardens to fight it.” Akutagaw then turned his glance over to Atsushi. “I am assuming you came from one of Ferelden’s…. Alienages. I do not see any Valasslin on your face.”

“Uh, yeah. From Denerim, but my dad was from Highever, and my mum’s Nan moved from Kirkwall then to Amaranthine before settling down in Denerim. They met in Redcliffe, though.”

Dazai whistled. “That’s a really long way. Good thing Darkspawn can’t swim really well, or the Free Marches would be in big trouble.” 

Akutagawa tilted his curiously, like a cat. “Do you plan on returning to Denerim to see them, then? Now that you’re no longer bound as a Circle Mage.”

“Well… they’re not around anymore,” Atsushi replied nervously, feeling heat in his cheeks. He avoided whatever pitying gazes they thought he should have. “But there’s this orphanage with a nice Matron, and I want to see how the other kids are doing now. They’re all probably getting married or have jobs now.”

Dazai looked uncomfortable, but the expression left as quickly as it came. “Well! I do believe we have a Joining ritual to perform?”

“This usually takes a lot of time, however what I need for each recruit to do is to head off into the Wilds and retrieve a vial of Darkspawn blood. Dazai, I need you to search for one of our old battlements for the Warden Treaties.” Oda then grabbed four empty vials and handed one to each Recruit. “We have two more hours before mid-noon. If you need to explore, please do it quickly. I need all of you back by sundown.”

“Understood.” Dazai looked ready to pull them off to explore the camp, but another elf approached them with a rather unamused expression.

“The King wishes to see the Wardens,” she said, looking rather tired of whatever the King cooked up with his antics. “Before discussing strategy, his Majesty said.”

“When is he arriving?” Oda asked in a light tone, but his gaze is already set on the golden armoured figure approaching them. Behind him is a man with dark hair and armour, with a bored expression.

“Oda! How do you fare, my friend?” asked King Francis with a flourish, pulling the Warden into a short embrace. “So, these are the recruits you spoke about in your missives? A pair of humans and elves each! This would be rather interesting.”

“Your Majesty, I beg that you reconsider.” The dark haired man, Mori, sounded more bored than worried, inspecting his nails with an almost blank expression. “This would be a waste of resources, along with the possibility of death amongst plenty of our soldiers.”

“Nonsense, Mori! Alcott already made the plans, in a single swoop, this Darkspawn horde will be felled by our swords! The Blight, just ending within a few days of its birth, why, that’s rather quite enough glory and fame for one and all.” The King’s armour looked absolutely blinding against the morning light, gems glittered with every move he made. Atsushi felt the King was out of place, considering how grim many of the soldiers looked. Like there was no hope in this battle.

“I do hope you’re right, then, your Majesty.” Mori then gestured towards Oda. “The queen is in the War Tent, I believe it’s almost time for the Council.”

Oda nodded at the noble. “Very well then. Dazai, be sure to be back by sundown.”

“Of course, Commander.” With that, the three left the new recruits and Dazai, headed towards a tent made out of golden cloth with the King’s banners draped across it. Without much of a word, the other three dispersed. Akutagawa looked like he was headed for the sparring range, while the other two headed over to the eastern side of the camp, where they distributed food among the soldiers, leaving the other Warden with the mage alone. Dazai turned to the other Atsushi. “I know you just got here, and I believe it would do you good to familiarise yourselves with the encampment. Just to know where to find where the weapons are stored and the like. Meet me in the southern gates before mid-noon, we have a long day ahead of us.”

“Oh, okay.” Atsushi fiddled nervously with his staff, tracing a round rune on the ivory nervously. He swallowed his nervousness but did not leave immediately. “What’s Oda like as a commander? He… saved my life, and well, I kind of wanted to know more about him.”

“Well, if you think him to be kind, then you’re right. Oda doesn’t talk much, but he’s the kind whose actions speak louder than words. In battle, he’s a very good strategist. In our expeditions to the Deep Roads, as long as you’re with the Commander, he’d always have your back.”

“He really is quite dependable.” Atsushi had wide eyes, wonder flitting across his face. “He made sure no one talked about much about… well… me being an elf  _ and _ a mage. As far as I remember in Denerim, humans weren’t really that very kind to us.”

Dazai placed a sympathetic hand on Atsushi’s shoulder. The man was wearing thick wolf hide gloves, and it was very warm. “Well, you’d be one of us now. Oda has been my family ever since he took me in from the Chantry. I almost became a Templar, you know. Except, I wasn’t really very good at swinging heavy weapons around and I’d be out of breath in ten minutes running around in heavy armour. I was better at picking locks, anyway. The one thing I was good at was dispelling.”

“Dispelling?” Dazai stepped closer and now had his arm around Atsushi’s shoulders, the mage didn’t mind. Warmth seeped through Atsushi’s chilly robes. “I’ve never seen a Templar dispel a mage after my Harrowing, but I think it’s because they think I’m not much of a threat until after… well… two friends of mine turned Maleficar.”

The rogue Warden made an empathetic sound. “That’s rather tough, mate. Tell you what, I’d be sure to tell you all the embarrassing shite about Oda later, maybe show you how to dispel something. When we get past this, we’d need to regroup to Denerim anyway.”

“Okay, then.” Atsushi was a little disappointed Dazai pulled away with a light grin. “I wanted to see what’s going on with the mabari in the kennels. Will the… um… beastmaster send me off?”

“I don’t think so. We’re running short of mabari anyway, so I think he’d be thankful for any help he can get. Just be sure to come back, alright?”

“Alright.”

“I’ll need to grab a few things from the smithy before we begin. Meet you at the gates.” With that, Dazai then headed east, except he was walking towards the direction of the forgery, instead of the mess area.

Atsushi sighed through his nose. There was no turning back now.

The kennels were populated by cheery mabari barking happily at Atsushi, they wagged their tails and had their tongues hanging out of their panting smiling faces. They all look excited to have a visitor, but Atsushi can still feel his apprehension rise as he approached the beastmaster.

“Um… hi.” Atsushi fiddles one of the tiny crystals embedded close to the focusing gem of his staff. “I was wondering what happened to him.”

One of the dogs looked listless, whining as quietly as possible. It doesn’t look like he was shielding any body parts to hide an injury, but the mabari was in pain all the same.

“Oh thank the Maker. This one has been quite glum since he was last out. He was scouting with his master, but they were ambushed by Darkspawn. His master died, and the mabari got a nasty wound from the Darkspawn. He isn’t quite used to this kind of taint, and I don’t really know how to get him better.” The beastmaster opened the cage. The mabari did come out, but it limped rather than walked before plopping itself on the human’s feet. “Yeah, I want to help too, old friend. Maybe to ease the pain, I don’t know.”

“I can help,” Atsushi offered right away, biting his lips before speaking again. “If there’s a certain medicine you want to have brewed, or if it’s healing spells… well I do know a good spell, but I hope that it works.”

“Some of our Circle Healers already tried, but if you’re offering to brew a potion…. There’s this flower down in the Korcari Wilds that’d help, but it’s too dangerous to go alone.”

“I can get it, I’m not going alone anyway.” Atsushi knelt by the dog and the beastmaster encouraged him to pat the mabari. “I’m one of the new recruits with the Grey Wardens, and I’d have Dazai and some other recruits, too. I’d keep an eye out for this flower.”

“Really? That’s great! Okay, I actually have an illustration here….” The human then grabbed a neatly folded piece of parchment from his pocket, he opened it to show a picture of a white flower. It had a red centre. “They said Grey Wardens that used to set camp in the old battlements there bred these flowers, to help with the taint. If you’re headed anywhere close to that area, you should be able to find it. It’s called Bloodbloom.”

“That’s perfect!” Atsushi almost snatched the paper. He read over the description, already committing many of the details to memory. “We’re actually headed there, so I’d definitely be on the lookout for the flower.”

“Truly? Thank you so much then, for your hospitality, ser Mage.”

“It’s no problem at all.” Atsushi’s face felt hot, and he felt rather warm at the appreciation. After a few more explanations on what Atsushi can do to preserve the flower, and to bring any other herbs Atsushi was more familiar with (like Elfroot), the mage set off to the Enchanters performing the ritual.

“Aren’t you First Enchanter Howard’s apprentice?” The other mage was quick to dump a stack of tomes into an unsuspecting Templar’s hands who looked indignant at being made into an errand boy by a mage, of all things. Atsushi tried to hide his amusement. “Congratulations on passing your Harrowing.”

“Thanks. Well… right now, it’s rather complicated. I’ve been recruited to join the Grey Wardens, and… er… the situation is rather… unusual in the Circle.” Atsushi scratched the back of his neck nervously, the other hand gripped the staff tightly. “We had two escapees.”

“Ranpo again? Did he finally manage to bring Edgar with him?”

Atsushi tried not to think about how  _ that _ went. “Not exactly.”

“Damn, too bad. I hear they’re about to ship off Ranpo’s phylactery to Amarinthe, or Denerim. Just so he can’t get any ideas. Poor sod would’ve probably made off with Edgar to Orlais or Tiventer, if it weren’t for the phylacteries.” The mage made a disappointed sound. “Looking forward to his next escape attempt, then.”

Atsushi just laughed nervously, the other mage sounded more jovial though. “Hey, I just remembered. What is this ritual Senior Enchanter Nathaniel is performing?”

Templars were handing the mages lyrium whenever they would extend a free hand. Their other hands were holding on to their staffs, bright red sparks of magic weaving into intricate spirals around them. If Atsushi looked closely, he can see distortions in the space where the Fade looked as if it’s trying to break through the Veil. 

“It’s a strengthening ritual of some sort. You know, to make enchantments and casting spells easier. They’ve been at it for hours.”

“Bjorn! The concoctions?” The Senior Enchanter barked, and the mage turned to Atsushi with a nervous grin.

“Okay, better get what Senior Enchanter Nathaniel wants before he tells me off. Just to let you know, it’s rather fun taking the piss out of him, especially when he can’t do anything about it.”

“That’s pretty mean.” Atsushi does know that Senior Enchanter Nathaniel wasn’t exactly a favourite among the apprentices, but he doesn’t deserve this much ridicule from his colleagues.

“Well, we all live with it. I better be going then.” With that, the other mage left, muttering colourful insults about how piss-proud Nathaniel must be after getting his daily load of Templar Spell Purges. Atsushi was rather red faced at that.

The mage found Akutagawa talking to one of the prisoners inside a cage close to the mess area. The elf had his arms crossed, but he had his back to Atsushi. As the white-haired elf came near the dark-haired one, snippets of conversation began to turn clear.

“-going to die. You can’t make me go back out there. I’d rather eat my sword than fight those… those…  _ things. _ ”

“If you don’t want to, then why didn’t you run away?” Akutagawa sounded unimpressed with the human behind bars.

“What? Didn’t you think I already tried that? Why don’t you take a look where it got me?” Atsushi was rather reluctant to go any closer, opting instead to see how it would play out.

* * *

 

Akutagawa hadn’t had a nice day so far. Things started to turn for the worse when Tamlen touched a shemlen-damned mirror, and then they both ended up getting ambushed by Darkspawn. It took him almost a month to find the other elf, only to discover that he’d gone through a horrific transformation. Whatever afflicted the other Dalish was supposed to afflict him too, in enough time. Perhaps it was a good thing that the Grey Warden Dazai was nearby in search for recruits.

Now, however, Akutagawa was seriously regretting his decision for deciding to fight for a delusional King.  Stupid humans and their stupid kingdoms.

“Since they’re going to execute me anyway, can you find it in your heart to give this poor soldier one last meal?” The human gestured towards the guard asleep in his post. There’s a tray with a bottle of mead, a plate of sour bread, about five strips of thick bacon, a chunk of cheese, and a bowl of parsnip stew in front of him. “That’s a meal good enough for a King. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind sharing it with a poor, unfortunate soul who’s about to be hanged in the gallows.”

Seeing no harm, Akutagawa shrugged. He quietly approached the guard’s dinner, broke off half the bread, and stuffed two pieces of bacon in it. There’s a cup by the bottle of wine, and the Dalish filled the cup before returning to the prisoner.

“There,” he said, handing off the meal.

“Thank you, kind ser.” The shem took the loot with greedy hands, his stomach growling obnoxiously. He placed the cup on the ground and grabbed something hidden inside his pockets. It was a key attached to a long piece of string. “See that chest o’er there by the smithy? This is its key. I’m sure the kind blacksmith would be more than happy to give a little something to fight against the Darkspawn, eh?”

Akutagawa nodded, glancing towards the aforementioned chest. Dazai had long left the blacksmith, and was now by a dwarf trying to impress Dazai with his skills on elemental enchantments.

Without much a word, Akutagawa approached the chest, the blacksmith busy with forging a longsword. It opened with a light click, and he pulled the top open. Inside was an enchanted shield with runes engraved at the sides. The Chantry’s sunburst was engraved proudly at the very centre, with more runic etchings on the space. The shield glowed a soft blue. Next to it is a sleek white staff with a purple gem at the very top. Runes were engraved on the metal, and it looked like it had a petrified vine circling it before closing around the amethyst. Tiny pearls were embedded on the vine. It definitely looked better than the staff the other elf, a Circle Mage, carried.

Akutagawa took them both.

“Why are you stealing?” He whirled to see the other Elf, and Akutagawa wanted to give himself a punch for not sensing Atsushi approach. Granted, mages can cast illusions to hide their presence, but this Mage doesn’t seem to want to be stealthy. Still, Akutagawa wasn’t one to let gifts freely given go to waste.

“Not exactly, it seems rather stupid to sell weapons to soldiers going to war. I don’t see any sovereigns on his table.” Akutagawa pushed the staff into Atsushi’s hands. Blight or no Blight, it would do better to have stronger weapons. “The King probably already paid his sum in gold, this is just.”

The other elf looked uncomfortable with the prospect of using what was considered stolen goods. Akutagawa decided Atsushi can feel a little less guilty once they all made out of this ordeal alive. Right now, Akutagawa was feeling a lot generous, with his impending death or madness by taint thanks to the Darkspawn, he was looking forward into becoming a Grey Warden just to stave both of these off.

“Come on, it’s almost mid-noon. It would be in our best interests to head to the southern gate.” When Atsushi made no move to follow immediately, Akutagawa grabbed the younger elf by the scruff of his robe, two staffs dragging into the ground. He headed over to their designated tent first, and took the older staff from Atsushi before placing it inside the chest by their lodgings.

_ ‘Get him new robes,’ _ was Akutagawa’s first thought when Atsushi almost tripped twice in his long garments. Probably the reason why mages were so easy to beat, it was hard to fight in those constricting things. True, the expensive spider silk looked beautiful. It was dark and smooth, and it had golden thread weaved into protective runes. Runes of protection doesn’t prevent tripping, however. 

Dazai was cleaning one of his daggers when they arrived, the enchanted blade gleaming with a soft blue glow every time he swiped his cloth along the length. He looked pleased when the two elves made their way to him. The other two humans were there as well, conversing quietly in hushed tones. They don’t look very happy to see elves accompanying them.

“Perfect timing! They don’t like to keep these gates open, Darkspawn might suddenly get past the walls and all that. So we better be quick, or we’d be locked outside with the Archdemon to keep us company.” The guard atop the tower looked very peeved, but nevertheless opened the gate for them. He was quick to have it shut once the part of Grey Warden and recruits stepped outside. “By the way, I feel plenty of Darkspawn nearby, stay on guard.”

The forest floor was bright green, but Akutagawa can see specks of dried blood trailing its way to the gates. There were arrows still piercing through the walls and the trees. Thick black ichor had a dead rabbit lying on its puddle. Scorch marks were everywhere, and some of the earth was unturned. Blood smelled thick in the air.

The human, Byron, gulped audibly, unsheathing his sword. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”

Dazai laughed, but he already had his bow out. “Not with me, you’re not. Hey Atsushi, do you know how to enchant flames or ice on weapons?”

“Yes!” The boy almost shouted. He raised his newly acquired staff and waved it a little, muttering a complicated spell. Fire engulfed the arrows on Dazai’s quiver, but it didn’t look like it harmed him. “You arrows are enchanted?”

“Yes, I had someone carve runes not to harm someone who would have had a matching amulet. I have more than one of these.” The Grey Warden then proceeded to hand them each a purple pouch tied together by twine. There’s something cube-like inside of it, and rather smooth as well. Akutagawa could feel something etched on what was probably a carved rock through the cloth. “It’s not nice to accidentally hit friends and all that.”

“Good thinking,” Akutagawa muttered, pocketing the amulet. Hopefully, Atsushi would be careful with how he would cast his spells. “Let’s go.”

As they went deeper into the forests, signs of battle become increasingly apparent. A caravan of Chantry pilgrims with plenty of burnt corpses was along the path, a Chantry brother had his hands clasped in prayer until his final moments. There’s a book under his hands, and Dazai curiously picked it up, leafing through the contents.

“To brother Genetivi, huh? Rumours of Andraste’s final resting place close to Denerim. Strange.” Akutagawa was wholly uninterested with how the humans went about their faith, so he made no comment when the Grey Warden pocketed the book. “Come on, the old fort is this way.”

Akutagawa had his awareness spread out as much as possible, in tune with the Forest. The wind carried a foul stench, and the Dalish Elf tried not to show how uncomfortable he was in spending time with a violated part of nature. Even with minimal magic, he knew how much the earth had cried at the loss of lives and the amount of blood spilt on the ground. Atsushi just looked wholly uncomfortable, and when asked, he simply replied that the Veil was thin.

The party followed the twisting path, and it just felt as if it took an eternity to find the eroded stone peeking through the trees. Thankfully, it looked untouched by the taint.

“This place is warded, but I’m not quite sure if it will hold up since it’s been some time ever since someone last fortified the magic surrounding the place.” Dazai began inspecting the rubble of once proud stonewalls. A spire with flagstones had long fallen, half of it already shattered on the ground. Almost hidden among the debris, a metal chest gleamed when a bit of sunlight hit it. “Found it!”

Akutagawa felt something was off, there was a sudden shift in the air, as if there was someone watching them. He brushed it off as discomfort at the carnage when they stepped out of the gates, but now that they were deeper into the forest, it was rather apparent that they weren’t alone. Rather discreetly, he unsheathed his sword, and sat down on one of the many fallen stones. He always had a piece of cloth with oil for cleaning his sword, so he bought it out and proceeded to do just that. He was pretty sure Dazai already knew that there was someone else with them, but was probably making a show of ignorance.

Atsushi, on the other hand, was rifling through the bushes surrounding the fort. He had a piece of paper in his hand that he’d stare at before moving through the plant life. The two shemlens were just hanging about, not doing anything.

“It’s open!” the Grey Warden declared after taking out his lock pick, but made a disappointed noise suddenly. “Eh? Where are the papers?”

“These, you mean?” A girl stepped out of from the trees. She had long red hair tied into pigtails, held by white flowers. She wore a simple red robe with a sash made of animal hide, but it didn’t look like it disrupted her mobility. Not like Atsushi. She had a twisting piece of wood for a staff. A mage, then. On her hands was a thick envelope made of vellum, a golden string tied it together and a wax seal kept it from falling apart. It still looked in good condition.

“Trespassing, I see. Rather rude to steal.” Dazai kept his posture casual, but he looked ready to draw his arrow at any time. “Are you the Witch of the Wilds?”

“Asha'belannar, you mean?” Akutagawa called, looking at the youthful girl. It was entirely possible that she was the woman the Keeper spoke of in Legends.

She shook her head. “No, my name is Lucy, my mother – Mitchell – is the one you call the Witch of the Wilds. Or Asha’belannar.”

“You’re not going to turn us into frogs, aren’t you?” Wordsworth asked, sword pointed at her, as he stepped back in fear.

“She can’t do that!” Atsushi shouted from somewhere else, bushes rustling with his movement. “It’s impossible. Not even Circle Mages can turn others into frogs, otherwise, Ferelden would be overrun with them.”

“Well, if you continue to be rude, I might consider learning how just to do it,” Lucy said, when Wordsworth was inching his way closer to her with his sword out. At the promise of the threat of being cursed, he backed down. “My mother will certainly enjoy picking you between her teeth.”

“If you have the documents I’m looking, then I highly appreciate that you give it to us.” Dazai held his hand out, and he abandoned all notions of attacking. “Blight is upon all of Thedas, and Ferelden will need all the help we can get. The Warden Treaties bound all political and military groups by law to band together in times of Blight.”

“Very well then.” She turned to Akutagawa. “Take these off my hands, if you will?”

The Dalish elf nodded and approached her. At that moment, Atsushi emerged from the clearing, his satchel just about bursting with Elfroot and strange whute flowers with red centres. His knuckles were littered with scratches, probably from the foraging. The younger elf had a very pleased expression, and he was just about bursting with excitement. Akutagawa shrugged and took the documents from Lucy.

“Aren’t you an apostate?” The light-haired elf asked, clutching his staff close to his chest. “How did you get away from Templars?”

“A Circle Mage, I see. Products of cradle robbers and Chantry propaganda. Rather absurd.” Akutagawa nodded in slight agreement with Lucy. The Dalish valued mages more than Andrastenians did. Atsushi was frowning. “Magic is everywhere, Templars just don’t bother where to look.”

After completing Dazai’s objective, the Darkspawn probably thought now would be a good time to attack. It’s becoming rather apparent that there’s something thinking that controlling them, instead of the usual mindlessness of the Darkspawns. A wave of genlocks and hurlocks emerged from the woods, snarling spittle and ichor.

Akutagawa cursed in elven, not fast enough to draw his sword as he sidestepped a Hurlock with dual blades. A whistling arrow on fire flew right in front of his face and hit the Hurlock Berserker in one of its milky eyes. Ichor spurted out in a messy spray, nearly drenching Akutagawa from head to toe. The Berserker fell, unmoving. The arrow pierced through its cranium.

“Hey, give that to Atsushi, will you?” Dazai shouted, drawing his bow again. Akutagawa threw the document at the mage who almost dropped it, and then shoved it inside his satchel. A Hurlock Bolter had its sight set on Atsushi, but Dazai took it out with a precise shot, his arrow passing through between its eyes.

Genlocks then proceeded to make their way to him, their high-pitched cackling grating on the elf’s nerves. In a rush, Akutagawa drew his sword, can feel his blood pounding behind his ears. With an enraged shout, he swung his sword in a wide arc, beheading about three of the eight Genlocks. He kicked one that flung itself at his leg, and slammed his pommel at another that jumped to his arm. He swung it diagonally to hit three of the genlocks that had their daggers out, and managed to take off an arm.

A Darkspawn rogue threw sand at his face. Akutagawa snarled, his eyes forced shut at the pain. He can’t see, and the genlocks sounded like they’re everywhere.

He rolled to the side when he heard Atsushi’s ‘Duck to your left!’ almost slamming into one of the fort’s fallen walls. A rush of freezing cold passed by where he used to stand, and he heard something shatter. He heard Lucy mutter something, and the familiar warmth of a healing spell suffused him from head to toe. With a hopefully clean sleeve, he wiped his eyes and blinked most of the sand away. Akutagawa’s vision was still mostly spotty, but he can differentiate the corpse-like Darkspawn and his allies. That was enough to have him jumping back into the fray.

Two of the genlocks were frozen solid surrounded by icy shards, they’re milky eyes darting around through the ice. Akutagawa heaved his sword and smashed the two Darkspawn, both of them shattering into chunks of frozen flesh.

The two humans were both sword locked with a Hurlock Alpha, the larger darkspawn wielding two broadswords with ease. It snapped its jagged teeth at the two, trying to swipe a bite while engaged. Dazai nocked another arrow on his bow, pulling the bowstring taught and aimed at the Hurlock Alpha. The Darkspawn roared and stepped back when the Grey Warden released the arrow, hitting it in the shoulder instead of between its eyes.

Akutagawa was about rush at the Alpha when he felt a piercing pain hit his arm that almost made him drop his sword. He glanced to the side to see a Hurlock Emissary emerging from the trees, waving a staff. Sparks of lightning filled the air, and Akutagawa dodged to the side when a bolt flew towards him. Ice shards from Atsushi’s flew towards the Darkspawn mage, but a shield of fire neutralised the spell. While the Emissary was casting another, Dazai raised his hand towards it, his palm glowing blue, and the sparks of light surrounding the Emissary exploded into nothingness, its connection to the Fade temporarily severed.

“Go!” Dazai barked, and Akutagawa charged towards the Alpha, sword raised and aiming to cleave the Darkspawn in half. It snarled and raised its swords to block, but Wordsworth took that as the chance to drive his sword through its gut. It shrieked angrily and it left enough of an opening to have the Dalish Elf to change trajectories and instead swung his sword through its neck. The blade made it halfway, passing through bones and rotted flesh. The metal crunched against its spinal column, with Akutagawa trying to hack it through its nearly severed head. Ichor kept on spurting in bursts through the wound, dripping down its neck and into the forest floor. His hands were sweaty, but the leather on the hilt kept his weapon from sliding off. Gathering his strength in his arms, Akutagawa pulled the sword off the Darkspawn, and kicked it when it tried to rush at him with its blades. It fell flailing, and the Dalish Elf slammed his foot on its hacked throat, killing the creature.

Atsushi, on the other hand, was flinging bolts of lightning back at the Emissary. It kept trying to raise its fallen comrades, but Dazai managed to gather enough willpower at that time to cancel it. Lucy was using Entropy spells as well to keep it from producing enough concentration if it took too long for Dazai to cancel a spell.

Atsushi took a deep breath, pulling the staff close and then began to chant. It was a long spell, but it was powerful enough to take out the Emissary. He gathered his mana about him and cringed when he felt that it wasn’t enough. Dazai, sensed that he needed lyrium, pulled a bottle of one from his pouch before uncorking it and drenching Atsushi with the contents. The mage sighed in relief when he felt the lyrium replenish his depleted stores.

He continued to chant, gathering the clouds above them, and then slammed his staff on the ground. Ice burst at the impact, and hail began to fall on the Emissary. A cloud of frost circled the Darkspawn, swirling dangerously and freezing everything it touched. Shards of ice slashed through the Emissary’s skin, ichor exploding through the lacerations before freezing solid. Its blood looked like a strange sculpture made in obsidian, specks of white mingling with it.

The Emissary couldn’t move, and soon enough, it was frozen solid. Dasai nocked another arrow and aimed carefully. It flew true and hit the Darkspawn between the eyes, shattering it into the forest floor.

Whatever that was left of the hurlocks and genlocks began to disperse, now that their commanders were dead. One of the hurlocks, however, did not quite manage to escape. Its foot caught into a bear trap, the sharp teeth rending through flesh and bone. It shrieked and flailed, threw its sword at the party, and then began to claw at its foot.

From the treetops, another girl emerged, jumping down from one of the branches. An elf, this time around. She was definitely from an Alienage, as she had no Valasslin on her face. Her black hair was chopped messily short, and her expression was definitely wary. Her dress used to be white, but dirt and blood caked the hems and the sleeves. Her boots were just as filthy. There’s a white rose stuck in her hair, and a thin gauzy cloth was attached to it. There’s a large gash dripping with blood and ichor across her abdomen. It looked fatal, but it could be not as serious.

“Wardens?” she asked. There’s a dagger in one of her hands, her knuckles were white. “I’ve been looking for a way out for two days now.”

“Yes and no,” Dazai replied. “I’m a Grey Warden, these are recruits-“he gestured towards the party “-and this is the daughter of the Witch of the Korcari Wilds. Who might you be and why are you here?”

The girl straightened up, but she seemed too stiff. “My name is Naomi Tanizaki. I came from Denerim… I believe that Lord Vaughan decided to leave my fate to the Darkspawns. I just… refused. His men that took me here are all dead, by the way. While he lounges oh so comfortably in Denerim, or he could be licking his wounds. Hard to find a new wife with a face like his these days.”

Atsushi looked far too distressed at the notion of dead humans. Akutagawa gave Naomi an appraising look. “Justice served where justice is due.”

Naomi snorted. “Hardly, if so, I would have taken his dick to the blade as well.”

All the men cringed collectively at that. Lucy looked absolutely delighted. “Would you like some tea and new clothes? My mother would love to hear all about what happened, from Denerim until now, if you’d like.”

“Wait!” Dazai held out his hand, and everyone glanced at him. “You have the taint, if you don’t have it treated, you will die. Why not join the Grey Wardens as well? We would be heading back to Denerim to regroup should we lose this battle. Your chances of surviving if you become a Warden would be high and you would be able to visit your family in the Alienage. We could even petition for the King to take Vaughan to court or punished for his misdeeds.”

She looked like she was mulling it over, biting her lips. Her dark eyes were turning dangerously glassy, and it looked like she was a second away from falling over in pain and exhaustion. Her other hand still held on to the tree, and her fingers were digging into the bark. Naomi glanced at the Hurlock snarling at her trap close by, spitting ichor and saliva at her. She glanced back at Dazai and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll join. I will definitely hold on to your promise to bring Vaughan to justice, Warden.”

“Please, my name is Dazai. If we’re going to be comrades here, best be familiar with each other’s names, right?”

They all then turned to the squirming Darkspawn. Naomi gripped her dagger tight and then drove it through its skull. It spasmed for a minute before going still. Dazai motioned for the recruits to fill up their vials with its blood. Darkspawn blood was thick and slick, like oil. It would have congealed like aspic if not for a thinner reagent in the vials.

With the danger gone and task completed, a collective exhaustion made itself known to the party. Atsushi slumped down on the wall, both of his hands on the staff. Sweat drenched his robes, and his hair stuck to his forehead in wet clumps. Akutagawa sat down, and began to clean his sword. His cloth was easily stained with the blood and gore of fallen Darkspawn, and the elf was quick to replace it when it was impossible to clean his blade with it.

Dazai made his way to where his arrows landed, inspecting if they could still be used. He still picked the broken ones, even just for their tips. It’s possible to just have the wood replaced, after all, it was the metal that was enchanted, after all. The other two humans then sat a little farther away from them, conversing in hushed tones. Lucy looked a little winded and paler, sweat dripping down her forehead. She approached Naomi and raised her staff, chanting a short rejuvenation spell.

The gash across the City Elf’s torso began to close, but it wasn’t fully healed yet. It looked as if infection was beginning to set in, pus already forming around the edges. Lucy frowned and asked Atsushi for a mint balm. Thankfully, the Circle Mage was well stocked with potions, and handed the jar of green salve to the apostate.

“We have two hours before sundown,” Dazai declared, glancing towards the sky. “Let’s make it quick and head back to camp.”

Naomi wasn’t very forthcoming on just how exactly Vaughan’s men got past the encampment of soldiers in the Ostagar main camp. Lucy stayed, naturally, since she didn’t want to have the Chantry and the Templars carting her off in chains. Although, Lucy did take the liberty to escort them. There was the possibility that the two humans would report Lucy, but the threat of the Darkspawn was more important over an apostate living in the Wilds. There were about two more skirmishes with Darkspawn before they reached the gates, but it was more like they stumbled upon Darkspawn scouts and then ended up engaging them in a fight.

The guards reluctantly let the party in when Dazai started shouting. They pulled it up just big enough to have one person get inside. Dazai then led them to a walled-off section in the camp. Oda was already there, waiting.

The Commander raised his brow at the new Elf addition, and called for one of the scouts to bring her more suitable clothing than a bloodstained wedding dress.

“And who’s this?” Oda gestured towards Naomi, who then accepted light leather armour that looked like it would fit her. “Another recruit you found in the Wilds, Dazai?

The man in question laughed heartily before replying. “Aye. She’s Naomi Tanizaki, came all the way from Denerim. The Arl’s son has quite a lot to do with her state.”

“I see… I suppose it’s too late to have you change your mind. We are always in need of Grey Wardens, after all.” Oda gestured towards the armour in Naomi’s hands. “Why don’t you change first?”

The City Elf did as told, and returned a little more fresh face than earlier. There were some spots still speckled with blood and mud on her arms and face, probably missed when she wiped it off while changing. Naomi’s hair was pretty much gathered in sweaty, greasy clumps, with nowhere to bathe at short notice. At least she was out of her wedding dress.

Oda picked up a silver chalice from lying on the table. He then asked for all the vials of Darkspawn blood, a little thankful that Dazai had the foresight to bring an extra. The chalice already had the archdemon blood and lyrium, they only need the darkspawn blood next. One by one, he started pouring the contents of the vial letting it steep for a minute before handing the chalice to Dazai. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened at the implications of what Oda had done.

"The Joining is a well kept secret of the Wardens, as not many survive the ritual. This is how we determine if a recruit is worthy of becoming a Warden. The tiniest hint of a doubt in your hearts may prove to be fatal.” 

“That’s blood magic,” the mage said, taking a step back. “You know that the Chantry deems it a sin punishable by death or Rite of Tranquility.”

“You’re going to kill us!” Byron roared, fear shining in his eyes. “I knew should’ave stayed in Kirkwall! Knight-Commander Meredit would not have allowed this!”

“Does it really matter?” Akutagawa turned to the other elf, brow raised. “If it means better chances to kill Darkspawn or more power to protect my clan, then I’d gladly drink every last drop. What about you? How willing are you to protect your Circle friends once the Blight reaches them?”

Atsushi glanced away, contemplating Akutagawa’s words. All his life, he’d been taught that blood magic is a product of demonic influence, that maleficar were agents of evil, the most abominable thing to have ever existed, scum in the Maker’s eyes. It wasn’t easy to simply ignore years and years of Chantry teachings for a single night. Yet if blood magic is what it would take to protect First Enchanter Lovecraft and all the other mages in the Circle, then Atsushi might be able to stomach the ritual.

“There is still a chance for survival, of course.” Oda continued, Byron did not look assured. The commander turned to his second. "You may now begin, Dazai."

The rogue took a deep breath, eyes closed. "Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day, we shall join you.”

Dazai approached Wordsworth. “Just a little sip is enough, we have four more to go around with.”

The human nervously took the chalice and placed it on his lips. He gulped rather audibly and returned the cup to Dazai. Not a minute passed and Wordsworth collapsed, choking. Blood and froth began to form in his mouth as he twitched on the floor. His eyes rolled back and his head kept slamming on the stone floor.

Byron, terrified at the prospect of death, turned to fled. He wasn’t fast enough for Oda, however.

“I apologise,” the Grey Warden began, genuine sorrow in his eyes. “I can’t let you leave.”

Before the human can speak, Oda already had a dagger through his chest, piercing his heart. The human collapsed into a boneless heap, dead in an instant. Wordsworth’s twitches began to subside, and then, he stilled finally.

Dazai turned to Atsushi, and his grey eyes looked unbearably hard, like steel. “Please.”

The elf nodded, taking the cup gingerly. Atsushi stared at the concoction. It was mostly black with veins of blue swirling along the surface. Atsushi can already sense the wrongness in the Joining ritual, powerful blood magic in his hands. He shook his head. He can’t doubt this now. Oda saved his life, the least he can do is help them save Ferelden.

Tentatively, he placed it on his lips, and let a tiny bit of the potion flow through his throat. The taste was absolutely disgusting. Instead of the usual saltiness of blood, this was bitter and thick on his tongue, and even if Atsushi swallowed his fill, it felt like it still coated his teeth.

Suddenly, the magic surged through his veins, burning pain flowing from his chest and into his head. Atsushi’s chest constricted painfully and it felt as if someone set his head on fire. He tried not to choke, but it felt as if he was rejecting the blood magic with every fibre of his being. The elf began to grit his teeth, forcing the wrongness that settled in his bones to go away, but he became all the more aware that it was changing him. Tears were already falling from Atsushi’s eyes as he fought against the pain.

Soon enough, his world began to turn dark, and the last thing he saw was Akutagawa flailing on the floor before Naomi collapsed next to him.

**Author's Note:**

> So…. this is a Dragon Age AU fusion thing with Bungou Stray Dogs. Character wise, I was just thinking about a single Origins Warden (Atsushi as a male Surana) and just exchange majority of the cast with others, but there were some… plans that got derailed. I also made changes with plot and stuff. Now, we also have Akutagawa as Mahariel and Naomi as Tabris. What about her brother? Don’t worry, we’ll see him soon. At first, I was supposed to have Kyouka as Morrigan, but I figured it didn’t fit her character, so I went with Lucy instead. She’ll appear later too. Dazai is most obviously, Alistair, except he’s a rogue instead of a warrior. 
> 
> Here are the character equivalents anyway:
> 
> Atsushi = Surana  
> Akutagawa = Mahariel  
> Naomi = Tabris  
> Oda = Duncan  
> Dazai = Alistair  
> Lovecraft = Irving  
> Melville = Greagoir  
> Hawthorne = Uldred  
> Edgar = Jowan  
> Ranpo = Anders / Lily  
> Fitzgerald = Cailan  
> Mori = Loghain  
> Lucy = Morrigan  
> Mitchell = Flemeth
> 
> The two OCs, Byron and Wordsworth, are Jory and Daveth respectively, but more Jory ofc. They’re dead cuz I needed someone dead lol :)
> 
> Speaking of which, more characters to come in future chapters!
> 
> Thanks for reading and tell me what you guys think! :D


End file.
